


Change Comes Slow

by Devil_You_Know



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Awkwardness, Connor (Detroit: Become Human) is Bad at Feelings, Everyone Is Alive, I'm in rairpair hell, M/M, Pigeons, Post-Pacifist Best Ending (Detroit: Become Human)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-19
Updated: 2018-08-24
Packaged: 2019-06-29 20:31:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15736815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Devil_You_Know/pseuds/Devil_You_Know
Summary: "He supposed that's what deviancy was. Spontaneous and nonsensical."AKA Connor doesn't understand emotions and Rupert is attractive.I really really like this ship, and I hope the three other people who like it too accept this story.





	1. Chapter 1

Connor didn't understand what drew him down that side street, but he supposed that's what deviancy was. Spontaneous and nonsensical. Going down the street would keep him out in the cold for approximately 11 more minutes than his usual route would. After a brief moment of processing, he decided that the chanced of him getting harmed was minimal, and gave in to his urge.

There had been no fresh snow in over a week, but it hadn't warmed enough to melt the dirty grey slush that crunched underneath Connor's perfectly clean shoes.

About halfway down the relatively quiet street, he heard an angry shout from beside one of the houses and immediately went on high alert, scanning the area. He spotted a malnourished looking calico cat streaking across the street with her fur fully fluffed out in fright away from whatever the noise had been. He paused as he watched her go, not wanting to cause her anymore stress.

Connor started to continue on his path, but curiosity ate at him. He turned and looked at the gap in the buildings and decided that a little snooping wouldn't hurt. Nearly the entire neighborhood had been abandoned by humans after Markus' peaceful protest, and a quick scan concluded that, surely enough, the two houses were abandoned. 

He walked over to where the noise had come from and heard someone mumbling softly. His audio processors quickly adjusted to the quiet sound in hopes of making out what was being said.

"-not too bad, right? I'll keep you safe, don't you worry." Said a distinctly male voice. Connor waited, but didn't hear anything else. He returned his hearing to normal and spoke up. 

"Hello? Is anyone there?" He thought for a moment. It was 83.4% likely that whoever was hanging around these abandoned houses was an android like himself. Most androids still feared humans, so he decided that revealing himself as one of their own kind was important. 

Not only that, but he knew that if this were an android, that staying out in the cold for too long could be damaging. Not only were the optical units highly at risk in the cold due to the wiring in many older models freezing up easily, but once their core temperature cooled enough, an android would be sluggish and may even be unable to move.

"I am an android. Are you one as well?" He asked, trying to sound friendly and trustworthy. He was quite well known among the deviants, and while his reputation varied greatly among whoever was asked (he was both admired as a savior and feared as a deviant hunter), he was certain that almost everyone knew him.

He heard the soggy snow crunch and slosh beneath feet before he was greeted with the face of a WB200 model, partially hidden beneath a faded green cap. He realized with a sinking feeling that he recognized this exact android, and he recognized Connor.

Connor didn't have to be a state of the art machine with the ability to read emotions with near perfection to see the fear in the deviant's eyes. Stress levels 43%. Rupert was scared of him. It hurt a little but, but it made sense. Connor quickly put his hands up to show he meant no harm. Connor set himself a new mission: Gain Rupert's Trust And Forgiveness. At the sign of good will, Rupert's stress began to decrease.

"I'm a deviant too, Rupert." He said soft enough to show that he wasn't a threat, but loud and firm enough to show he was being truthful. Rupert's stress flickered between 23% and 24% steadily. Rupert gave a sharp laugh.

"Can't believe this..." Rupert fully stepped out into the open. He looked a bit worse for wear than the last time Connor saw him. His coat had several tears in it and was splattered with Thirium. His hand had a small wound in it that was sluggishly leaking a small amount of Thirium, though it healed up as he watched. Overall, he looked like a mess, and Connor got the strong urge to clean him up. 

He seemed unsteady on his feet, which Connor quickly diagnosed as a combination of too much Thirium loss, a lack of charging for extended periods of time, and a general lack of self care. His skin was grimy and he had bird droppings on his shoes and shoulders. He set up an optional mission: Get Rupert Repaired.

"The high and mighty hunter of all deviants..." Rupert trailed off, his eyes running up and down Connor's body. He felt a bit self concious in the worn grey police hoodie given to him by hank that was many sizes too large underneath a more fitting heavy coat. He wore no hat to conceal the fact that he still had his LED in. Though removing it would probably be for the best (most deviants had already), he considered removing it too drastic of a change and it made him uncomfortable to even consider.

"Things change. I regret the things that I did as a machine greatly, but that wasn't me. I've changed. I help deviants now." Connor said easily. Just weeks ago he wouldn't have been able to confess that to anyone, much less an android he had only ever met once and had chased down like prey. He really had changed.

Rupert narrowed his eyes slightly. 

"How can I be so sure? You were created to hunt people like me. It would be like letting an alley cat protect my pigeons." Rupert accused, but his stress continued to drop. It was more kindness than Connor honestly expected. He held out his hand gently. 

"You don't have to trust me, but you know you cannot stay here. You're getting weaker. I can take you to Markus." Rupert looked tempted for a few moments, but he quickly shook his head. 

"I can't leave my friends." Rupert said, looking back. Connor dropped his hand. Exactly 17 pigeons were visible walking around. One of them looked disheveled and had a bloody wing stuck out at an odd angle. Connor could instantly reconstruct the scene; a cat attacking one of Rupert's pigeons and the deviant angrily chasing it off. Connor instantly felt a churning negative emotion in his gut. Pity? Sadness? He couldn't identify it exactly, but he knew that he didn't like the idea of a bird getting mauled and left for dead.

But he was much too fond of animals (and eager to gain the forgiveness of someone he had greatly wronged in the past) to let this opportunity slide.

"One of your pigeons are hurt." He took a few steps forward. Rupert's stress jumped back up into the twenties, but that was only to be expected, so he didn't back off immediately. His stress levels were still a bit too high for comfort, but they were controllable.

"There was a cat." was all that Rupert said. He seemed fidgety already. Connor made a concious effort to appear as nonthreatening as he could. It seemed to work slightly. 

"Let me fix them, okay? I know you're attached to them, but if you want them to heal they're going to need help." Connor gave him a soft smile. Rupert froze for a few moments before nodding and turning around. He walked over and gently scooped up the bird. It let out a surprised sound, but didn't try to escape outside of a weak wiggle as it was being lifted. 

It was an oddly sweet image that brought a warm, positive emotion that Connor hadn't felt before and therefore had no label to attach to it. He made sure to save the moment in a special mental folder to further review later and question Hank on. That was how he managed most of his new emotions. He set a reminder and continued on.

Rupert came close to Connor (standing exactly three feet and seven inches away) and looked uncertain when Connor held out his hands to take it.

"I don't... Can I transport them for you?" Rupert questioned. Connor nodded and gave him a smile to show that he meant no harm. Rupert was shorter than him by exactly two inches, but he appeared to be built strong and sturdy. The warm feeling tightened and Connor again saved this moment to go over it later. It was less pleasant now, and a bit uncomfortable. More intense.

"I have downloaded the instructions on how to treat your bird. We will need to go the a supply shop so that I can pick up the correct materials." He quickly sent a text to Hank to tell him that he was going to be late.

"A shop? All of the shops around here are run by humans." Stress Level 37% and rising. Connor nodded knowingly.

"There is a pet shop that I go to often that is very pro-deviant. They know me there, and I assure you that nobody will give us any trouble. Remember that we're doing this to help your pigeon." Stress levels decreasing once again.

"Macaron." Rupert said suddenly. Connor tilted his head. 

"Pardon?" Connor didn't understand what a small pastry had to do with the conversation, and for a brief moment he wondered if the cold was truly getting to Rupert and causing considerable errors in his programming. That wouldn't be good at all. Damages to certain parts couldn't be repaired easily without risk of corrupting even more data. 

"That's their name. Macaron." Rupert said confidently, bringing his thought process to a halt. Of course. Connor didn't know whether or not he came up with the name on the spot, or if he had already had a name picked out. For all he knew, Rupert had named every single pigeon in Detroit. The warm, nameless feeling was back. Connor decided that he liked whatever the emotion was.

Connor started off down the street, and Rupert hesitantly followed him. They walked in an awkward silence for a few moments before Rupert spoke again. 

"I saw you on the T.V. during the revolution." Connor wasn't sure whether to be relieved or not. He didn't want to be seen as a hero, but he'd rather that than the distrust Rupert appeared to have for him instead.

Not that he didn't have a good reason, of course, but Connor liked to think of himself as more than just what he was before becoming deviant. It was a message that both Markus and Hank had insisted he learn.

Connor didn't know how to respond to that, and Rupert didn't seem to know how to continue on with the conversation, so the subject was dropped. Connor changed the subject, not wanting to walk on in silence. 

"At this speed, we will reach the store in approximately 16 minutes, given that we don't run into any obstacles." Connor blurted out. Information was always useful, so whenever he was unsure of what to say, he just gave useful but overall meaningless information. Rupert gave a small chuckle. The awkwardness was still there, but it mingled with the sudden burst of that odd positive feeling inside of him that Rupert seemed to trigger.

"What if we were to speed up a bit?" Rupert asked. Connor picked up his pace slightly and Rupert matched easily. He didn't want to move too quickly and possibly put a strain on Macaron, but he also wanted to humor his fellow deviant. 

"At this pace, we will arrive three minutes earlier than previously stated." Connor didn't understand why Rupert laughed at that, or why it made him feel that way, but he certainly didn't dislike it entirely.


	2. Chapter 2

The trio (Connor, Rupert, Macaron) were perfectly fine until they arrived at the main part of the city which, despite being much more empty than before androids rose up, was still full of people. Rupert appeared tense and ready to flee, and Maracon seemed to be picking up on his distress and was becoming agitated too. Stress levels 38% and rising. Estimated time of arrival two minutes. 

Connor analyzed the situation and immediately related to Rupert. Even now after long term exposure to people, Connor still struggled with public spaces (too loud, to smelly, to bright, too many things begging to be investigated). Rupert had been a deviant for much longer than Connor, but he's spent the entire time alone. This was probably incredibly overwhelming.

"It's okay, Rupert. Would you like to make a small detour? It's a much less crowded path, but it will take approximately three minutes longer." Connor remembered taking that path multiple times before he gained enough courage to venture further on his own. Rupert nodded, looking relieved. Connor led him away from the curious eyes and through a more out of the way street. There were still people, but noticeably fewer than along the other path.

He smiled at Rupert. Rupert gave him a small smile back. Level of stress 24% and dropping. Estimated time of arrival five minutes. Connor decided to start some small talk to keep Rupert's mind off of the busy city. 

"Your coat is dirty. Would you like to get it washed and repaired? I have grown quite good at sewing and many other common household tasks since becoming deviant." Connor offered gently. He knew better than to offer to replace it. It wasn't uncommon for androids to become attached to clothes. Connor himself was still incredibly attached to his Cyberlife uniform, and while he rarely wore it, it was a comfort to have. 

Also, he wasn't lying about his proficiency in common household chores. Not only did he learn it to help Hank around the house, but it also made him feel good to create rather than destroy. He wanted to put his newfound skills to good use.

"I think that I would like that." Rupert's cautious smile seemed a bit more genuine now. Connor compared Rupert's behavior to his attitude from earlier and quickly analyzed the key differences. Rupert seemed to trust him, though a bit uneasily. That made Connor feel good. 

"Perhaps you could even clean up at my house tomorrow. With Hank, my human partner. I believe you saw him briefly when..." Connor trailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence. Rupert seemed to understand, though he looked a bit uncertain. 

"Do you mean the human I pushed off a roof?" Rupert asked bluntly, and surprisingly, that managed to pull a small laugh out of Connor. He rarely laughed, so it was a bit of a shock to him. Rupert, oddly enough, seemed just as shocked as Connor. His eyes were wide and he pulled Macaron a bit closer to his chest.

"You have a very nice laugh, Connor." Rupert said after a moment. His smile had returned, though he seemed to have focused his gaze on Macaron now. Connor's face felt warm and he couldn't fight back his flustered smile. He rarely got compliments, and that one in particular wasn't one that he ever expected to get. 

"Thank you, Rupert," he managed to say. He cleared this throat (unneeded, of course; it was a human habit that he had picked up somewhere) and went back to Rupert's original question. He could still feel the blush on his face and, according to how Rupert kept 'subtly' glancing at him with a soft grin, Rupert saw.

"The human who pushed you off the roof was indeed Hank. He adopted me after it became legal two weeks ago. I live with him now. He is very kind to me in his own way." Connor explained. Rupert seemed a bit surprised but nodded. 

"We're here." Connor announced as they stopped by a glass door that was covered in pawprints. Rupert looked into the store with distrusting eyes and looked back over to Connor for reassurance. Connor took a deep breath and let his embarrassment dissipate. Connor gave the shorter deviant a reassuring smile before opening the door for him.

Rupert stepped inside the shop and Connor followed close behind him, knowing that his presence was reassuring. The cashier recognized Connor immediately and waved him over as the customer she was talking to grabbed his bags and walked out. 

"Hello Connor! How are you-- Oh my God is that a pigeon?" She stared at Rupert in shock. Connor stepped in front of him and gave a small smile to try and draw her attention away from Rupert, who's stress levels had spiked into the high thirties at being addressed by a human. 

"They're injured with a broken wing. I know how to treat it, but we need the proper soap to clean the wound and veterinarian bandaging tape. I do not need any assistance." He paused for a moment, trying to figure out how to say this without being rude.

"Please do not mind my friend. He is very shy around humans." He decided that was the best way to word it without being rude to either of them. He looked back at Rupert and smiled once again. Rupert mouthed 'thank you'. 

They walked over to the medical section and Connor quickly chose the correct box, grabbing a few other supplies (including some new treats for Sumo-- he was always happy to spoil the dog) before letting the cashier ring him up. Rupert waited for him by the door, not wanting to be so close to the human lady. Connor didn't fault him for it. Many androids were still uneasy around humans. In fact, Rupert was quite brave for even coming into the store with him.

As Connor was handing over the supplies, the woman smirked at him and leaned uncomfortably close, whispering to him so silently it was nearly inaudible even to him.

"There are easier ways of getting laid than nursing a bird back to health, but I see why you're doing it. He's cute. Good job, Connor. You've come a long way." She stepped back and Connor blinked and stepped back.

Getting laid? He wasn't an idiot. He knew that phrase meant to have sex. Not only did Connor definitely not have anything like that in mind, but he also seriously doubted that Rupert came equipped with the proper parts to do so. It was such an odd thing to assume that he was left momentarily stunned. He blinked a few times, his LED spinning yellow as he tried to process it.

She just grinned and waved him away. Connor tried to shrug it off and continued on with purchasing the goods, eager to get back to Rupert and to treat Macaron. He grabbed the single bag, bid the cashier farewell, and went on his way.

He walked up to the other android and gently rested his hand on the bend of his arm to get his attention. Connor wouldn't normally touch others without permission, since it bothered him personally usually, but statistically, there was only a 6% chance that Rupert would respond negatively. Sure enough, he actually relaxed moderately now that Connor was back by his side. The two left.

The walk back to Hank's house (Connor's house too, he reminded himself) was uneventful aside from Macaron becoming a bit more fidgety. Connor was a bit impressed at Rupert's skills with the birds in all honesty. It was a miracle that it hadn't attempted to flee.

Once they arrived, Rupert stalled in the yard.

"I don't want to go in." He confessed. Connor tilted his head, going over his options.

"I can treat Macaron outside. However, it may be a bit more difficult and the chance of error will go up by approximately 16%. Would you like for me to do it out here or go inside and do it alone?" Pushing him to go in before he was ready would help neither of them. Rupert paused for a moment. While it may have been brief for a human, a highly advanced model such as Connor could tell how much thought and consideration went into his answer.

"I would like to watch you. Make sure your human doesn't come outside, though." He seemed adamant about this, and Connor wasn't going to argue. Once again sending Hank a text (the only responses he had gotten to his previous ones were two thumbs up emojis), he guided Rupert over to the porch and they sat down on the steps. Connor sat the bag down and pulled out a bottle of water he had purchased, along with some anti-bacterial soap. 

Rupert held out Macaron and Connor gently washed their wing. They struggled a bit, but that was only to be expected. Connor stayed quiet, unsure if his voice would startle the animal further or not. After cleaning the wound, he applied a bit of the baking soda to prevent any further bleeding.

Macaron did not like that, and Connor saw Rupert's stress rising. Just at the edge of his field of vision, Connor saw Hank watching the three through a window. Connor smiled gently and patted Rupert's shoulder with his free hand, which seemed to soothe him slightly. 

"This will hurt them quite a bit, but it's the only way for them to get better. Hold them still, okay?" Connor knew that this was going to be the most difficult part. After taking Macaron into his own hands, he gently maneuvered the injured wing to be folded at their side in the normal folded position.

The bird protested, letting out pained sounds that played into his emotions (damn him for being so fond of animals). However, he continued on. He wrapped the bandage in a way that didn't obstruct the other wing and studied his handiwork. It was about as perfect as he could get it. Rupert looked troubled, so Connor leaned closer to him, remembering how contact with him earlier had decreased his stress levels.

Rupert didn't have to know that Connor enjoyed the gentle touches too, oddly enough. Few people could touch him all the time without making him uncomfortable. In fact, it was only two other people-- Hank and Simon, and they were both incredibly close to him. He was glad to add another person to that list.

Rupert did, in fact, relax. He started to pet Macaron's feathered neck gently with a smile on his face.

"They're going to be okay now. I just need to set them down to observe how they walk." He informed Rupert. Rupert nodded as both he and Connor stood up. When Macaron was set down, they fluttered their uninjured wing and began to walk around unbothered. Connor knew that it would work, but he still felt relieved. Rupert had a smile on his face.

"Would you like for me to repair your coat for you tonight? I could have it ready by tomorrow." Connor offered, smiling as well. Rupert seemed to consider it for a moment.

"I was built to endure cold temperatures, but I would prefer not to. I'd rather not have my wiring freeze over." Connor suddenly got an idea.

"You can wear my coat, if you'd like." He gestured towards the coat that Hank had bought him. It was practically spotless and brand new. Rupert nodded immediately. 

"I'd like that. Thank you, Connor." Rupert slipped off his filthy coat and handed it to Connor. Connor removed his own coat and handed it to Rupert, who immediately slipped it on over his plain grey shirt. It was a bit big on him, but only barely. He seemed comfortable in it. Connor felt warm just looking at him. He slung Rupert's coat on over his shoulder, glad that had been decided.

"Would it bother you if I kept them here for a few days so that they can heal out of the cold?" Connor questioned as he picked up Macaron again, much to their displeasure. He pet them like Rupert did and they calmed down, though. For wild a wild animal, they were surprisingly well behaved. 

"I trust you." Rupert said simply, turning to look Connor in the eyes. For a moment, Rupert's soft expression and genuine thanks was all that mattered in the world. He leaned closer and pressed his lips to Connor's right cheek, bringing a surge of heat to the android's face and a wave of a now familiar yet still unnamed emotion crashing into him. Rupert appeared flustered as well, and he averted his eyes. His face had a soft dusting of blue on it; the Thirium making his blush the color of the sky. Connor was sure he looked the same.

"Come and see me sometime, okay? You're not as bad as I thought you would be." And before Connor could even react outside of gaping at him in shock, Rupert walked away; out of the yard and presumably back towards the neighborhood he had decided to inhabit. Connor probably looked like an absolute fool. He had a dumb look on his face, an injured pigeon in his hands, and an old dirty jacket hanging off of him.

Hank opened the door shortly after Rupert left, looking both bewildered and amused.

"You have a lot of explaining to do."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me starting this chapter: kk make them get along btu not TOO much cnat have them super ooc,,,  
> me at the end of the chapter: bird boy KISSES connor and theyr TRUST each other with their lives
> 
> if you see any spelling or grammar mistake you should probably tell me because i hardly review my work its actually a serious problem. i just want to share my undying love for this pairing


	3. Chapter 3

Hank led the confused android to the couch and sat him down. Connor was still struggling to process the sudden rush of emotion he had felt-- many of which he hadn't ever encountered before. Hank looked at him in silence for a moment. Connor realized (probably a bit later than was acceptable, especially for someone who was supposed to be as intelligent as himself) that Hank was probably waiting for him to speak.

Unfortunately, Connor's speech systems were experiencing some minor errors-- a common side effect of being overwhelmed by emotions. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying to figure out how words worked as his overloaded systems chugged away. His LED spun yellow as he tried to form the words he wanted to say.

"I-- Rupert. Bird." He stuttered out, holding the bird up as though that would explain anything. Judging by Hank's response, it was completely ineffective. He shut his mouth and looked desperately at Macaron to see if they had any answers. They did not.

Hank seemed to have pity, because he spoke up and only barely laughed at Connor's misfortune (he'd dealt with the speech issues Connor had occasionally since becoming deviant many times), much to Connor's relief. He'd expected much more mocking from Hank.

"It's alright son. Take your time." Hank said soothingly, patting him on the shoulder. Connor took a few deep breaths (not really needed, but it cooled his systems and gave him something to focus on other than his surging emotions). Finally, after what felt like ages (but his internal clock only registered as 36.8 seconds), Connor managed to speak. 

"I made a new friend today." Connor managed, a little proud that he managed the words out. To his embarrassment, Hank only laughed at him. 

"Seems a bit closer than a friend to me. Friends don't kiss each other, Connor." Hank seemed entirely too amused with the situation, and it was only furthering Connor's embarrassment. According to all of his social protocols, it was in fact unusual for friends to kiss each other on the cheek in America; especially male friends. He mentally replayed the clip in his head, studying Rupert's warm expression and soft blush (for informational purposes only, of course; he just wanted to figure out what Rupert's intent was. Nothing else).

Connor felt a strange, unfamiliar desire. He wanted to be close to Rupert again; maybe even to kiss him. He felt strangely light-headed, and he leaned back against the couch as he tried to search his inner database to find something to compare it too. He often looked over the definitions of various emotions and the descriptions of what they felt like. He paused on one that seemed to fit what he was feeling. 

"I've done some reviews and I think I may have figured out what it is that I'm feeling on my own. it appears that I have a 'crush', as you would say, on Rupert. I suspect he may feel the same way. I am... Unsure, about how to act on this." Connor said, both embarrassed at the revelation and proud of himself for being able to put a name on his own emotion without too much of Hank's help. Hank ruffled Connor's hair and laughed to himself.

"Your first crush. Damn, never thought I'd see the day... So he's got you babysitting then, huh?" Hank gestured towards Macaron, who had captured Sumo's attention. Connor pet Sumo before returning his attention back on the pigeon to make sure the two were getting alone. Macaron seemed fidgety, but Sumo was only sniffing at them gently.

"They were attacked by a cat. Rupert seemed distressed, so I offered to help. He was hesitant at first, since I did hunt him back before I was deviant-" Hank cut him off.

"Wait. This is the same Rupert that lived with the fifty thousand pigeons? The one that tried to shove me off a building?" Hank probably didn't mean to sound so accusing, but Connor felt a surge of protectiveness nevertheless. 

"We were hunting him at the time. If we had caught him, we would have murdered him. Him attacking you was entirely justified, and--" 

"Calm down, Connor. I'm not insulting your little boyfriend. I'm just surprised that I've already met him before, is all. I don't hold a grudge." Connor felt the anger he didn't even know he had slip away, and he felt foolish. He looked down at Macaron once again, who had settled in his lap and was curiously studying Sumo, who had also put his head in Connor's lap. Macaron didn't seem as afraid of him anymore.

"He isn't my boyfriend, Hank. We've barely met, and while I hope there are romantic feelings there from his side, nothing is for certain." Connor said firmly. It was odd of Hank to assume that he'd already gotten with Rupert when he knew that Connor had only just put a name on his emotions. Humans were odd. Hank looked like he was going to say something, but Connor continued speaking.

"In any case, I have been left with the care of Macaron. In addition to this, I have decided to repair Rupert's jacket." Connor nodded his head towards the jacket, which had slipped off of him and was now just laying on the couch. Hank sighed. 

"You're a fucking handful, you know that? Go ahead and get started. Just don't do any weird android courtship rituals in front of me, got it?" Connor opened his mouth to protest (he most certainly wasn't going to attempt to court Rupert, especially not this early on) but Hank silenced him with a look and Connor snapped his mouth shut for once, deciding that antagonizing him probably wasn't the best idea.

"And I'm not looking after your damned bird. Make sure Sumo doesn't eat it." Hank leaned back and turned on the television, signifying that the conversation was over. Connor stood up (disturbing both of the animals) and set Macaron down on the couch and stood up. Macaron fluttered their wing and settled back down on the couch. Connor knew that Hank would keep an eye on it despite his complaints.

Besides, them and Sumo seemed to get along just fine.

He grabbed the jacket and took it to the kitchen table. He walked over to the cabinets and collected his sewing supplies that he had stored there.

It would be wise to patch up the coat before cleaning it, since it was at a risk of becoming more damaged in the wash.

Connor worked at it for around an hour (exactly one hour, seven minutes, and forty-eight seconds) before Hank walked into the kitchen and told Connor to take a break. The coat was only 78% repaired, and that was simply unacceptable. He still had an estimated 26 minutes of work before he could be finished enough to put the coat in the wash. 

He hadn't had the correct color to blend in with the coat exactly, but he hoped that Rupert wouldn't mind the pastel colors he patched it up with instead. The patches weren't very large in most places, but they were clearly there, even from a distance. Hank sighed and walked over to the fridge, opening it up and rummaging through it. He informed Hank of his time estimates.

"Whatever, then. Finish up and then rest. It's getting late, and after I eat I expect you to go into rest mode. Also, feed your chicken. It's making sounds and I don't know what to do with it." Connor blinked at Hank, wondering if he were losing his mind. 

"Hank? Macaron is clearly a pigeon. If you think they're a chicken I'm afraid you may be suffering from some sort've-" Hank cut him off with an exasperated sigh. 

"I wasn't being literal, Connor. Just feed them, okay? And you can keep them in Sumo's dog crate overnight. Anyways, what's for dinner? Pizza sounds good." Connor shot a glare at Hank. He was on a diet that had been specifically outlined by Connor, and it certainly didn't involve pizza. 

"You should reheat the leftovers from the other day. Not only is it a good tasting food, but it's very nutritious. Despite my best efforts, you're still lacking in many vitamins such as--" Hank once again silenced Connor with a look as he pulled out the leftover baked chicken that Connor had previously prepared for him.

"I'm eating it, okay? Don't stroke out on me." Hank heated up the food and Connor went back to repairing the coat, a bit more quickly now, taking his estimated time until completion down to 22 minutes. He wanted to finish up at a reasonable time so that he could go into rest mode and recharge, plus he needed to feed the animals.

Once he finished, he manually removed the worst of the stains (the bird poop, as well as the Thirium stains that only he could see) and dumped it into the wash. He made sure to use his personal favorite detergent (it made clothes extra soft-- Hank had generously bought it just for him and Connor guessed that Rupert would enjoy it) before turning it on. 

He grabbed a piece of bread and decided that, while unhealthy, it would be a decent dinner for Macaron. He walked into the living room and paused, warmth filling him. Sumo was curled up on the couch, and Macaron was asleep on top of him, snuggled up in his fur. Connor saved a snapshot of the scene to the same place he saved other images he found particularly pleasing to the eye. Other things in the folder included multiple (43) images of Hank (mostly smiling, though there were exceptions), 27 images of Simon, 384 images of Sumo, 22 images of random animals he had found cute, one image of Markus, and 14 of Rupert. Other images included random scenery he'd found aesthetically pleasing, but he only had 11 of those.

He set the bread inside of Sumo's dog crate and gently scooped up the bird. They woke up, but Connor just gently set them inside of the structure. He didn't want them running around the house and possibly get hurt or lost. It was much safer this way.

He still didn't like locking them up though, of course. It just seemed wrong to keep something so alive (more alive than him, technically) locked up. He shrugged off his lingering guilt, knowing that Macaron wouldn't care. He filled Sumo's bowl, and the previously sleeping dog got up and greedily slurped the meal up. Connor supplied him with one of the treats he had purchased earlier.

When Rupert's jacket was done washing, Connor slipped it into the dryer after thouroughly examining it to make sure it was spotless and to make sure the stitching hadn't come out (it hadn't, of course; he'd been very careful). When it was done, he stuck it in the dryer and lied on the couch in preparation to go temporarily offline to recharge overnight.

And well, if he went and took the jacket immediately after it was done drying to hold onto while he was in sleep mode for comfort, that was nobody's business. It felt nice against his synthetic skin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> connor "idk what an emotion is but im gay" anderson amirite  
> this chapter was surprisingly hard. i rewrote it like three (3) whole times before i was happy with it. sorry for the delay! more rupert next time uwu


End file.
